Saturday, November 08, 2008

11th Hour Preacher Party: Impatiently Waiting for the Day Edition

Good Morning, gals and pals! Here in the Midwest, we are experiencing the first snowy weekend of the fall. Huge wet flakes fell yesterday, mostly melting already. Today: freezing rain and winds. This is a reminder to me that the End is Near: soon it will be Thanksgiving, then the cold winter season will completely descend on us. Where are the mittens, the scarves, the ear muffs? And where is the ice scraper? Where is the shovel?

The end is near: that's what many of the week's texts remind us. Are we tempted to sleep? Is it oil that we are needing? Are we impatiently waiting for the King to come, the feast to begin? Or is it repentance instead of oil that we are needing? Where is the Spirit leading you this week?

I'm putting on the fair trade coffee, as always; I'm putting out apple-cinnamon muffins, and orange juice. I've got some Good Earth tea for the non-coffee drinkers too. I've also got some pretty red placemats and napkins. I'm trying to put all the parts of my sermon in order: the promise and the warning, the hope and the fear. Do I have enough oil to go the distance? Come and join me. I'm pretty sure that it is when we join together in community that the Spirit joins us, and the flame will not go out.

117 comments:

We have a baptism tomorrow so I'm starting with the Joshua text. The parents are declaring their household for the Lord. The rest of us, like the people of God, are renewing those same vows because we need to do that more rather than less. It helps remind us that we, too, have chosen God. And coming together as that family every Sunday is, for me, like making sure my lamp is lit and I ahve enough oil for another week to see where God is leading me.

And now back to bed so I can be bright eyed at the Salvation Army this morning. I've got parents/godparents this afternoon. Having spent two days discerning calls to priesthood and deaconate, I've got nothing to offer other than pretzels.

It's Remembrance Sunday for us...We have 2 huge Remembrance services, for which my colleague is preaching as he is ex RAF but I get to do the normal parish communion in the valley which ought to reflect the day to some extent. It's got to be short, though, to enable me to get up the hill for the 2 minute silence at 11Oh heavens.No thoughts.No time.Definitely not enough oil.But I do have a bowl full of russet apples and some Fair Trade banana chips, which work well as brain food I'm told...

Banana chips sound delicious!I have a wedding at noon, not very effectively rehearsed, and the couple showed up without the needed paperwork and checks. I should have asked at the beginning of the rehearsal and sent people home. Considering that I already took my 13-year-old shopping on the hope of the check, I'm feeling, well, short of oil this morning. Good thing I wrote the homily before the rehearsal, isn't it?

good morning all- the end (beginning) is near for me- but there's no snow to tell me that. here, at last, in my new home, it looks like fall. the trees a brilliantly painted. and sometimes there's that crispness that is the gift of fall. no, snow is not my harbinger... a due date of december 4th and increasing physical discomfort now that i'm in the last month of my pregnancy. i set a goal for myself, last summer, of finishing my coursework for this semester by Thanksgiving, or really, the weekend before Thanksgiving. Two weeks before due. Because I set that goal and because I really want some time to emotionally/physically/spiritually prepare for birth and because the baby could really come any time now... I WANT TO ACHIEVE IT.

Two days ago I had my last occasional assignment of the semester. I still have tons of reading I'm supposed to do every week, but... I woke up this morning thinking... I'm just going to work on my papers for the next two weeks. I might do a little pre-class reading so I'm not totally lost, but, especially starting next weeks- only writing! So this week will be final preparations to write. Next week writing, writing, writing... no reading... this is tough for the overachiever in me, and the people pleaser in me who has a hard time blowing off syllabi, but it has to be.

whoa... bitter cold here too! the coffee pot just got going. the sermon is percolating... just need to get it poured out onto the page... motivation however is sorely lacking. my unmade bed still looks warm and inviting...

Margaret and Kathryn, you do have busy days...And SB, I so sympathise with the paperwork/check issue--been there myself.WS, bring us something good from the Farmer's Market! I love them and rarely get out to them any more.And blessings, Sarah, on the days to come and all that they will bring forth for you.

I'm not preaching tomorrow, it's our wonderful interactive "house church" Sunday...just what I need after my first chemo round, too, as I would NOT have gotten a sermon together.

We'll be looking at Amos and Matthew. THe Amos passage is one of my very favourites in the entire Bible...Amos 5:18-24"Alas for you who desire the day of God! Why do you want the day of God? It is darkness, not light; as if someone fled from a lion, and was met by a bear; or went into the house and rested a hand against the wall, and was bitten by a snake. Is not the day of God darkness, not light, and gloom with no brightness in it? I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals I will not look upon. Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."

Not all of us will get "Well done, good and faithful servant." Those verities we've leaned on like a house wall may well bite us in the hand--or elsewhere!

And of course the Matthew--the Boy Scout pericope--"Be Prepared!"

Also have Remembrance Day tomorrow, and then our annual Budget Forum after church before our annual meeting next week.

Today--had the stitches out from my chemo port insertion already (ouch!) and then later a meeting re:my contract (pro forma, really, not much to change).

The banana chips sound like something I could eat right now...sadly, my usual Saturday breakfast of bagels and cream cheese is not settling well on my stomach (mentally, that is).

I'm being presented to the congregation of my new call tomorrow. Well, it will officially be my new call if the congregation votes favorably! I am wondering if I made the right decision to go lectionary this week.

I'm stressing right now. I realized at about 6 pm last night that I had forgotten to pick up my robe and the dress I was going to wear from the dry cleaners and that this dry cleaner has no Saturday hours!!! So, off to Cokesbury I go, hoping they have something in my size.

I'll take some of those peanut butter puffins and banana chips, please! Blessing, everyone!

G'morning everyone! I'm not preaching this week as I'm on a study leave that was approved last January. I usually take the week of Remembrance Day to start planning Advent.

My father-in-law (retired UCCan) is doing the Remembrance Day service at our church tomorrow. He always does such a great job of it.

To answer Diane's question - I'm not sure about the UK (though I could hazard a guess), but yes, our Remembrance Day is much like your Veterans Day. We will mark it on Sunday, but also on Tuesday....eleveth hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

Rainbow Pastor -- good summmary! Have you ever considered hosting the preacher party? just checking :)

Iris -- praying for the Oil of Inspiration for you! And good prayers for tomorrow.

I'm working "passionate spirituality" into my sermon right now (Natural Church Development), with the admonition to remember that our identities are hidden in the world -- just the cross is revealed. That's why faith/trust is the oil.... to keep trusting even when the circumstances are against us, to keep praying even when the well is dry and we seem to busy, to keep working for justice even when it seems discouraging. That's the "staying power" of faith.... ok, I'm starting to preach now, so I'll be heading back out.

Since we've been blizzard bound these past few days, the cupboards are bare, I have nothing to offer. Pass those banana chips! I've been working Amos and Matthew, with a focus on life of discipleship. Nothing on paper yet, though, so I'd better get cracking!

I only have two of my usual three services tomorrow because the road to my most remote church is covered with 12 foot drifts. Yikes!

The cold, snow, wet winds are just a distant memory to me. How strange to so quickly forget what that all feels like....

I wrote my sermon a few days ago, before my retreat. Here I have no idea what will happen next, so I rarely am able to leave the sermon to the last minute. And sure enough while on retreat two parishioners died, one a significant member from years back, who has been in a nursing facility for years, in her 90's. But also strangely enough, we may not even have a funeral at the church for either one. Seems that once a person gets old enough, and the family estranged enough, no one wants to do anything to honor that life. Sigh.

Anyway, I am off for a variety of things today. I hope I get to walk my dogs. And I will be back to tweek that sermon. I have tea and coffee, but not much else...which means also a trip to the grocery store.

Do you think possibly that the sleep of the foolish might be NOT an unreadiness for catastrophe, but an insistence ON catastrophe as the final consummation? I really think we do this parable a disservice by severing it from all Jesus' very careful handling of the appetite for Final Disaster in the previous chapter. Still thinking about it though.I am going downstairs to make Vaguely Oriental Chicken Soup for our marriage preppers.

Late check in here which is good for all of you! I refueled this morning by cooking up a storm so we have the following or US luches and "across the pond" dinners: Cranberry Chutney (please leave enough for the potluck tomorrow after church!), a big pot of chili, and artichoke dip with bruschetta. Now for someone to clean the kitchen...

I am not preaching the widows, but the OT reading - -it is "stewardship sunday" here and we are talking about tithing and what we give to God. But in the spirit of self care, am not working on it until suppertime. There are things I want to do first on this grey chlly rainy day.

I'm traveling, so I'll toss in a bag of airline peanuts and a couple of mints I picked up at the end of the conference!

My preaching is going in a totally different direction--why aren't we prepared? why are we sometimes the foolish ones?--but I just got out of a talk by Parker Palmer and was struck by a line in the gospel that I'd totally missed before. Palmer talks about the false illusion of scarcity vs. Jesus's reality of abundance, and how the world is different depending on which approach we take. Suddenly I noticed the wise bridesmaids refusing to share with the foolish ones because there wasn't enough oil. What if they had dared to share? Maybe by God's miracle and their willingness to trust in abundance, there would've been enough and everyone could've been at the party...

ah, betsy, how I like your idea of sharing.... not sure if it is faithful to the text, but I'm sure we do disservice to the text as well, when we have a "scarcity model" of God's mercy....

I think Matthew wanted his community to be vigilant in the face of a delayed "appearing". So in the world as it is now, God's glory is always hidden until that return, and we all sleep, wise and foolish.

So to keep being faithful, passionate even, disciples, "for the long haul" is the goal.

one column of a two column comparison chart done- the easier column. much procrastinating done- scared of the harder column. dreaming of a pie i'll bake when the chart is done- naturally sweetened pumpkin pie should be ready for those writing into the night. choir rehearsal in an hour- want to get a good start on the second column before it starts. so better get to that.

my husband is VERY jealous of those of you with snow, especially those of you in the dakotas, where he grew up.

I finally have a Saturday with nothing on the calendar! My laptop is camping out at the church which changing my typical sermon writing routine. I don't know if that's good or bad.

The week has been full of non-sermon productive things. Most of the time I choose one scripture for the bulletin but this week has Joshua and Matthew so I have options. I think I'm preaching from Joshua but it's really too early to tell for sure.

betsy--as someone said to me earlier this week, "This text needs some Hannukah!" Made me chuckle.

We're recovering from a startlingly warm week here--we beat a record yesterday with 73F, but it soon clouded up and now we are slowly getting some of that cold air many of you are talking about. (To compare, snow would not be unusual at this time of year here. 73F is nowhere near normal.)

I'm preaching Matthew and struggling some with the bridesmaids. Gained some valuable insight at my former mentor's blog: http://hintonhomiletics.blogspot.com/. Think I'm going a similar route to him.

At text study earlier this week, one amusing mental image featured the foolish bridesmaids standing outside the wedding feast yakking on cell phones...and then being shocked when they realized they'd been locked out.

May also procrastinate by doing some baking, or working on that insert for tomorrow's baptism.

hi there - i'm here. I have E's one hour video game time to finish the draft I started earlier this week. IT's actually ok so far, but I still have a WAYS to go and not sure if it's more than an hours worth of work or not. BUT that's all the time I got today, so it just has to be. And the clock is set annnnnnnndddd GO.

No major duties, to my knowledge, in church tomorrow...just plugging our Project Christmas donations for a needy local family, and reminding folks about our Sunday School Christmas card project for servicepeople and disabled vets.

Yesterday "Daily Dish" blogger Andrew Sullivan ofThe Atlantic magazine had a very good blog post regarding the passage of Prop 8. His "money quote," as he'd put it, was that the gay community needs to be "patient and relentless in explaining our lives." For some reason this exhortation is converging in my mind with both the Joshua and Amos passages. I'm feeling very affirmed and encouraged in explaining my own life, as a Christian who also happens to be gay; to help people of faith who think of me as "one of those people over there" that, no, I am one of [i]you[/i]: Someone who, with my partner, have chosen whom we'll serve; who are trying to live our way into justice and righteousness, as hard as that is and as feeble as our efforts can sometimes be; who want to keep our lamps filled and our wicks trimmed.

Meanwhile...despite doctors' orders, my recuperating (from pnemonia) DP insisted on going "Amishing" this morning to finish up our loved ones' Christmas baskets. We had a good time, and made the lady at the farm where we purchase our stuff smile. DP came home and promptly fell into bed; I am working up the courage to tackle some housecleaning.

Let's see -- I have some caramel apples from the orchard in town, and some cider, and some pomogranate infused green tea with local honey. In a bit there will be some homemade potato bread as well. And later tonight there will be homemade chicken soup with wholewheat egg noodles and lots of aromatic veg.

Greetings and best wishes to all, and pray for me as our evangelism committee (which is pretty much one other person and myself) continue to discern how we can get our sometimes very insular congregation to look and move OUTWARD.

I'm off lectionary, so I'm just here to provide and receive relief this week! I was supposed to be going the stewardship route with Joshua, but the stewardship committee decided to wait a couple of weeks on that. Not wanting to do two big stewardship pushes within a few weeks of each other, I decided to take this opportunity to go back to Josh 4, one of my favorite passages that the lectionary skips.

I'm going to continue on with our remembrances of witnesses from last week's All Saints Day and talk about "Memory Aids" or memorials that help us remember God's gracious acts in our lives. I paired with the a Colossians passage that points to the cross.

Next week, when I'm out of town, they're going to take it another step further by writing things for which they are thankful on stones and making a pile of those as a memorials for all of God's gifts.

After all these weeks of celebrating witnesses and blessings, etc, we'll hit the final stewardship dedication Sunday on Christ the King. Not sure what I'll do there, yet, but I've got time.

Anyway, our day is not snowy, but certainly not 77. It's been a steady, windy, cold, wet 35 around here. We dragged the kids on all sorts of errands this morning, so now they're napping before we head to a parishoners' house for REAL Chinese dinner. Yum!

I'm back, after a wedding that started late, but at least I got paid, and errands after that. I got a bigger stacking storage unit for yarn, isn't that exciting? It's full now, and so is the old one. I fear it's a troubling fact.Sermon now has fewer words after an edit of what is written so far, and I must begin to delve into the bridesmaids, I fear. Sigh.

no preaching for me this week (again)--it's weird to go from every week or every other week to not preaching again until the 4th Sunday of Advent. I'm mildly distressed by the preaching schedule, but I won't bore you all with that.

Instead...I'm making applesauce, again! This is the last of the apples. In about 10 minutes I'll have hot cinnamon (sugar free) applesauce for you to enjoy!

We are doing Joshua here and talking about storytelling. I'm giving 3rd graders their Bibles during the children's time. And we're having an evening potluck to "celebrate our story" (that's the actual name of the event)--we'll have a potluck, give out a couple more 3rd grade Bibles, and have a storyteller from our congregation tell the story of our church from 1839 to today, along with a few personal stories from older members--the man who brought the pews from McCormick seminary on the back of a big truck, the person who was liturgist the day the pastor quit during worship and walked out, etc. Should be fun.

Can I get anyone anything? We have some leftover sandwiches from the funeral reception this morning. I have applesauce. I'm going to a "meet-n-eat" (fellowship event at a local restaurant) that's apparently at an Italian place--maybe there's tiramisu? I'm taking orders...

A counseling appt., worship team practice, then the longest baby shower I ever attended in my life, and grey skies and the snow that Diane talked about, jut a little further east. Very dreary out! I need sleep, but I have a meeting to attend. Fortunately for me, my husband is preaching tomorrow! Yay! Yawh...

Praise be, I think I'm done.it's rather disjointed and I'm not sure it says a great deal but I think I'll risk it..unless God delivers a great alternative overnight. The current version will arrive at my place once we hit midnight (such is the tyrrany of NaBloPoMo)Just realised I overlooked an offer of tiramisu earlier...it may be bedtime (in fact an hour beyond...) but that is just too good to miss.Sleep well, friends, when you get there.

bread is taking time to bake, but will be ready soon, fresh and hot... may the smell of it inspire your continued labors.

i have finished the chart... i'm not sure i know yet what form my paper will take, but i have a lot of raw material to work with, and that should help. i guess i'll start easing into sabbath now by making a pie!!! let me know if you'd like some!

OK, the second of my three churches cancelled service tomorrow, since most members' roads are still blocked and they're trying to round up their cattle which got caught in far off pastures where there is no food available but there are dangerously deep drifts they could get stuck in. A good number of members are still without power (and thus heat) after 3 days. So your prayers are requested!

Since I am down to one service tomorrow, which surely be lightly attended, my sermon-writing efforts have become...feeble and unfocused shall we say? We did get out of the house for the first time since Wednesday, so I do have Chai tea and muffins to offer now!

Deb, Snowman sounded shocked when I asked to see his! I pointed out that his brother allowed both parents (English majors, we) to proof-read his essays. He seemed shocked. I pointed out that neither of us wanted to rewrite or tell him what to say. He continued to express dismay at the very possibility. What.ev.er.

I'm home, after our 6 pm. Saturday service, which is when I get to preach every week, and why I don't post here very often - since most weeks my Saturdays are taken up with family stuff right up till when I leave for church. Anyway, could someone please tell me how to post my sermon (which is a Word document) to my blog (which is mumumpastor@blogspot.com?) Blessings to and prayers for all of you late night writers, and may the Spirit be with all as we enter the Sabbath together.

Thanks, Songbird - I had to delete a bunch of html formatting stuff at the top, but it did post, and it is here. Comments welcomed, hope it helps any of you who are feeling "stuck". Iris, many blessings on your preaching tomorrow, I just snuck over and read your blog, and I will be praying for you! Songbird, we have brownies here too, let's share!

I have some semblance of a sermon, which I would consider practically finished in other circumstances. I'm totally overthinking this one. I know, I have to just be myself and preach like myself...but I'm feeling a little less than myself as I write for this ocassion. Does that even make sense?

I'll always go for a brownine (or anything chocolate for that matter). One of these days I will find time to bake on Saturday (and organize things in basement storage, and half a dozen other things...).

Just finished a nice hot bath and started a novel called The Shack. Terribly temtped to go read some more of it (about 4 chapters in thus far).

Loyalty calls though. WHat gods draw us astray in the here and now? ANd how to gently give the congregation the "Joshua challenge"? Would Joshua believe our answer any more than he believed the people of ISrael?

Sb and KP,May my kittehs play with your dogs and cats?Please?I have Cranberry Sierra Mist (only avail during hoidays) and some apples from the mountains.Also, working on salad for studnets at nearby school for the studnts dinner of the denomination. They are suffering a tough loss today.So, back to wrk on sermon...somebody ahd a good link...was it Gord or Scott?Anyhow, very good stuff!Now to shed some light on these silly virgins with no oil.

The sermon is as it was, rambling and mostly point-less. Or too many points, maybe. And, as usual, I am on the lookout for a children's sermon. Most I've found seem to involve a flashlight and batteries. Anyone have another idea?

No one's touched the pecan pie, so help yourselves. At least the Thanksgiving Potluck means that no one will care if the sermon is short (like anyone cares on a normal Sunday!).

OK. I'm ready to settle in and write. I don't totally know where I'm going, but I feel like I've preached this idea before. I just hope it wasn't here and a couple of weeks ago!!! I'm pretty sure it was in a baptismal sermon on Deu. 6 - - something about telling this generation and the next and the next. I think I'll dig that one up and see if there's anything worth saving for this one.

(Just to clarify I'm off lectionary and back at Joshua 4 with the pile of rocks memorializing God's leading of the Israelites across the Jordan and into the Promised Land.)

Got horrible news that the 9 month old baby of a friend had a murmur at his check up and is now looking at a heart transplant. Don't know the details of the conditions, etc, but would appreciate prayers for the little one of a friend and seminary colleague - - husband and wife are both pastors. Both just left their first calls last week - he to take a new one, her to stay home with this baby and their toddler.

Oh yeah - - I'm up and probably for the long haul. I don't have a word written yet, nor the final plan for my adult ed on stewardship. This being my first year preaching every week, I firmly believe sermons should be suspended during football season. That must be my problem.

Ugh - - I'm looking everywhere for the bit about the US Vietnam Memorial that someone posted somewhere in the next week or two. I can't find it. If anyone remembers where it is, I would GREATLY appreciate it!

okay, late-night friends, I am contemplating prayers of the people and a children's time about stories (to segue into giving 3rd graders bibles). I brought tiramisu and REALLY GOOD bailey's cheesecake back with me from the dinner. holy cow, the cheesecake is amazing, so please have some!

RE the bridesmaids children's sermon: a retired pastor in my congregation is supply preaching somewhere and he said he's doing something about going to the movies--half of your friends buy candy before the movie and half don't, then the first half won't share so some have to leave and end up missing the best part of the movie while they're out buying candy. and then they find that they can't get back in because the ticket-takers are checking tickets and they've left theirs inside and can't prove that they were in there before. How would you feel if you missed the best part of the movie because you didn't buy candy/popcorn/whatever ahead of time? Be prepared--the best is yet to come in our faith journeys too. (or something like that)

Take that FWIW, with huge helping of bailey's cheesecake. :-) I have cocoa ready too! Help yourselves...I am about to fall into bed after a long sabbath-free weekend...

Oh Teri! Childrens time! Totally forgot about that.Most of mine are little - got lots of 3s and 4s, so they would not get that movie thing at all. Earlier this week, I was thinking of teaching that oil in my lamp song that 1-4 grace or someone was singing earlier, but now it seems like a bad idea. As do all ideas, actually, just now. Oh, Saturday night! You are such a bummer sometimes!

Oh thank goodness. I just found and skimmed the previous sermon. It introduced the theme of remembrance, but didn't run with it as much as do it. It was our Scottish Heritage Sunday, so I spent time sort doing the 5 minute Presbyterian church history, but talked about the importance of remembering where we came from and how God has been involved in our history, just as important, not in why and how.

I think I still have enough to say to write another "remembrance" sermon. In fact, I can even link the two by showing how God continually calls us to remember these defining moments, these salvific, graceful points in our history (both parting of waters include instructions to remember). Whew. It still works.

I went to bed early and now I am awake! My husband is either just finishing up his job in Connecticut (latest end time would be 5 a.m.) or already on his way home! I really feel like one of those bridesmaids now, but the question is: am I wise or am I foolish? If he's on his way, great that I'll be awake! If he won't be here until 8:30 or so, I'll be sorry I didn't get more sleep!

By the way, I'll be teaching the song to the children after sharing a story someone told in Bible Study (with permission) about sitting on the beach after twilight with a Bic Lantern, intended to keep bugs away, and unintentionally providing a guide to shore for a kayaker. We never know who our light might be helping. Amen! (Feel free to adapt as helpful.)

I'm back! I have been for about 30 minutes. This is shaping up nicely with more of a stewardship emphasis than I thought would be possible which is good since it's the last time I preach before our dedication on Nov. 23. I think the stewardship sermon on the day of dedication is almost too late since most folks come with the card already filled out. Hopefully this is the final food to think on before the cards are completed and returned for dedication.

back this a.m. doing pretty much everything at all three services with the help of the intern. have a sermon which is not one of my best ones, and I'm trying to work on the last few sentences, and make them better.

OK - - my very detailed outline is done, and I probably have about 300 words to write to flesh the last bit of it out, but I think it's time for a shower! It should cut my getting ready time down if my hair can dry while I type the ending. Here comes the morning push!